Utah asks U.S. to return 20 million acres

Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert signed into law Friday a bill that asks the federal government, which owns a majority of the land in the state, to give back more than 20 million acres. Similar land measures are brewing in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and New Mexico.

Washington

Space junk threat to astronauts

A discarded chunk of a Russian rocket is forcing six space station astronauts to seek shelter in escape capsules early today. NASA spokesman Rob Navias says the space junk will barely be close enough to be a threat. But if it hits the station it could be dangerous, so the astronauts will climb into two Soyuz vehicles ready to rocket back to Earth just in case.

IowA City, IowA

Woman removed from death row

A judge removed one of the two women on federal death row Friday, saying lawyers for the Iowa woman convicted in the 1993 murders of five people failed to present evidence about her troubled mental state that could have spared her from capital punishment.

SaN FRANCISCO

Family of 5 found dead in their home

Five members of a family — three women and two men — were found dead inside a home near San Francisco's City College in a possible murder-suicide, police said Friday. At least two of the victims were shot, but investigators were still looking into the cause of death for the others.

Mali's military coup leaders appeared to have an uncertain grasp on power Friday as international condemnation mounted, an insurrection by nomadic tribesmen in the north gained ground and the junta was forced to condemn looting by its own troops in Bamako.

SANTA ANA, Calif.

Woman gets life for spouse's death

An Orange County judge sentenced a woman to life in state prison without the possibility of parole Friday for orchestrating a hit on her husband because she worried his cancer was eating up their nest egg. Sandra Jessee, 60, was convicted of one felony count of special-circumstances murder for financial gain and one count of conspiracy.

Minneapolis

9 charged in rape of 14-year-old girl

Nine suspected gang members and associates were charged Friday in a sex attack on a 14-year-old girl who was forced into an abandoned house and raped after trying to leave a party, authorities said.

Atlanta

Arrest in shooting of officer from roof

Atlanta police say a man has been arrested in the shooting of a city officer who they say was targeted from a nearby rooftop. The officer was shot in the leg as he left a restaurant on Thursday.